Latest news from TRAFFIC

In the Red List update, African Elephants have been downlisted from Vulnerable to Near Threatened Click photo to enlarge (C) Martin Harvey / WWF-CanonBarcelona, Spain, 6 October 2008--The new IUCN Red List of Threatened Species was unveiled today at the World Conservation Congress currently underway in Barcelona. A record 44,838 species have been assessed, of which 16,928 (38%) are threatened with extinction.

The new assessment finds 1,141 mammal species, more than 1 in 5 of all mammals, is threatened with extinction. Over harvesting is a key threat, wiping out larger mammals, especially in Southeast Asia, but also in parts of Africa and South America. Species like the Caspian Seal Pusa caspica move from Vulnerable to Endangered. Its population has declined by 90 percent in the last 100 years due to unsustainable hunting and habitat degradation and is still decreasing.

However, conservation can bring species back from the brink of extinction, with five percent of currently threatened mammals showing signs of recovery in the wild. They include the African Elephant Loxodonta africana, which moves from Vulnerable to Near Threatened, largely a reflection of the recent and ongoing population increases in southern and eastern Africa. The status of the species varies considerably across its range.

Wild meat on sale in Vietnam; a new study investigates what drives trade in wildlife Click photo to enlargeTRAFFIC

Cambridge, UK, 3 October 2008—A report released today by the World Bank and TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, examines what factors influence wildlife trade in south-east Asia, and in particular trade that is illegal and unsustainable.

Launching the report, What’s Driving the Wildlife Trade?, Tony Whitten, the World Bank’s Senior Biodiversity Specialist for the East Asia and Pacific Region, commented on the rationale in carrying out the study: “Understanding the factors that influence wildlife trade is absolutely fundamental if steps are to be taken to curb illegal trade or influence unsustainable trade so that it becomes sustainable.”

TRAFFIC provided techical input into a new guide aimed at promoting sustainable use of biological resources in hotels Click image to enlargeCambridge, UK, 2 October 2008—From cotton towels and sheets in guest rooms, to food in the restaurant and wood used for furniture and fittings—the products of biodiversity are everywhere inside hotels. Outside, plants and animals make a hotel’s public spaces and gardens attractive for guests, while beyond the hotel gates, parks, green spaces, coasts and natural habitats provide guests with opportunities for recreation and enjoyment.

Recognizing these important links, Accor, one of the world's leading hotel companies, has joined forces with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to develop guidelines on the sustainable use of biological resources in hotels’ everyday operations. The guide includes technical factsheets developed by TRAFFIC, listing conservation issues and advice on which wildlife species to choose and which to avoid.

Typical of the problem is the recent release of a gang of four Zimbabwean poachers who admitted to killing 18 rhinos in five different areas of central Zimbabwe, including a semi-tame group of Black Rhinos slaughtered in their pens at Imire Safari Ranch.

TRAFFIC presented wildlife handling equipment to PROFEPA as part of a UK-funded project to help conserve Mexican biodiversity and stem illegal wildlife trade in Central and South America Click photo to enlarge TRAFFICEspañol

Mexico City, 23 September 2008—TRAFFIC today presented USD30,000 worth of animal handling equipment to PROFEPA, the Mexican Government body responsible for protection of the environment.

The new equipment will assist enforcement officers in Mexico in the implementation of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), and is part of a wider agreement between PROFEPA and WWF, implemented through TRAFFIC, which is aimed at nationwide capacity building for enforcement officers to tackle illegal wildlife trade and ensure the sustainable use of natural resources.

Hanoi, Vietnam, 15 September—On 29 August, two boats from a Philippine’s-based task force found 101 Hawksbill Turtles drowned in the cargo of a Vietnamese fishing vessel off the coast of the Philippines. The crew of 13 Vietnamese fishermen was taken to El Nido in the Philippines, where they are likely to be charged with breaking both the Philippine’s Wildlife and Conservation Protection law and the Philippine’s Fisheries Code of 1998. If convicted, they face substantial fines and up to six years in prison.

New Delhi, India, 26 August 2008—TRAFFIC India today released “Don’t Buy Trouble”, a new film advising consumers/tourists against buying illegal wildlife products. The five minute film captures glimpses of the burgeoning illegal wildlife trade in India that threatens the country’s precious flora and fauna and is the latest addition to TRAFFIC India’s consumer awareness “Buyers Beware” campaign.